Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; IRITIS Attack! Help!

Hi for last 6-7 months I really forgot about AS pain and everything since I was on a strict protein based NSD. But for last 2 days a severe Iritis attack is making my life hell. I really don't know what caused this but I think I made some mistake with my NSD as I was trying out a little different tastes and must be something with dairy. Going to visit my opt tomorrow. Help! I'm in pain.

Hello, Palash:

I feel Your pain. It is MISERABLE. Close eye and apply ice--not constantly, but just enough to cool it off a bit: DO NOT OVER-DO THIS!!!

Better to get some sleep and have a look at my file in dropbox for IRITIS; good drug is DEPO-MEDROL don't know what this is called in India but Squibb makes something I think. Click on active link below: Important AS Resources.

Get to OPHTHALMOLOGIST ASAP!!!

HEALTH,
John

Hi John, Went to the Ophthalmologist. Using Pred forte eye drop as prescribed by him and the condition has stabilized a lot. However, is it not possible to avoid this iritis for life with NSD? I have been following NSD really strictly for last 9-10 months. However, I remember that just a day or two before this attack I had an ice-cream outside. Can this be a trigger? Does ice creams contain starch?

HI,

Iritis attacks were the main feature of my AS before I went NSD I thought the backache etc were unrelated. I was only getting a few months or even weeks between attacks.

Something like three weeks in to going NSD I had an attack which was very demoralising but I hadn't yet realised how much things contained starch and it was also at Easter: excess of Easter eggs see below.

I have been NSD for 2 1/2 years how and have had two instances since with the gaps between getting larger. I haven't been able to definitely pin these down to unknown starch more an excess of sugar and maybe something else soya lecithin? in the form of chocolate bars (snickers and the like) and also stress leading up to it.

I have had starch since (not intentionally) and not had an attack so I am beginning to think sugar has a part in my iritis. I can eat quality chocolate (just chocolate nothing else- high cocoa which can affect some people although I do have milk chocolate on occasion) without a problem though.

Ice cream can contain starch as can yoghurt you need to always check the labels I am even beginning to check them every time even if its something I always use because the ingredients can be changed without you realising!

x

Hi grumpyally.
Sounds like you have added foods to your nsd, and are still feeling good. Could u write what u eay and how u are with pain?
Thanks!
Bman

Hi,

I wouldn't say I have added foods, I still don't eat all the no go foods such as grains pulses potatoes etc. I may have forgotten something but this is my food list.

Fruits I eat mostly apples and berries as many tropical fruits test starchy here, occasional figs, kiwis, grapes. Dates dried cranberries and raisins, avocado. Sometimes dried prunes (great pudding recipe) and apricots.

Most greens lettuce watercress spinach etc, cucumber, celery (mostly in juices), occasional peppers, tomatoes (avoid cooked where I can). Ginger, parsley and fennel in juices. Fennel in juices purely because not got round to adding to my one recipe I know using cooked.

Broccoli and alfalfa sprouted seeds.

Veg: Lots of onions and garlic, broccoli, sprouts, cabbage, courgette, leeks, kale in juices, occasional cauliflower, French green beans. Asparagus when in season. Carrots but only raw. Occasional mushrooms.

Occasional cheese rarely dairy
Lots of eggs
Salmon and smoked salmon, sardines in olive oil, chicken, lamb and occasional beef and venison and bacon. I use homemade stock/bone broth in soups etc.

Sometimes honey on 'bread' and yeast extract yum.
Mustard (starch free) hemp and olive oil, coconut oil and homemade ghee for cooking.

Herbal teas: camomile, green tea with lemon and peppermint.
If I am having wine it is only Chardonnay or Pinot Noir for the klebs effect!


The stuff I shouldn't eat too much of but have a hard time not! Most of it is used in baked stuff eg 'bread' and dehydrated crackers.

Almonds, macadamia, walnuts, pistachios, some brazil nuts occasional cashew nuts (love salted cashews). Sesame seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, occasional sunflower seeds.

Coconut flour in baking and coconut cream if I make a chocolate ganache.

Last but not least chocolate usually Green and Blacks organic when its on offer mostly plain sometimes milk chocolate and lately Montezumas dark cooking couverture chocolate (I know, desperate but it has no soya in it).

My sweet tooth is my downfall I find if I have something sweet I need MORE. I am trying to keep my sugar consumption down....

I have mostly no pain my eyes bother me the most nothing significant just not quite right between spells of feeling 'at peace'. I rarely flare now if I do its my SI joint and that lasts a day at most.

I can get away with the occasional curry, chicken cham cham and saag paneer yum, from our local who use no starch thickeners cooked fresh (though the spices are starchy).

I am in a minor flare (compared to how I used to be) at the moment due to going to a dinner party Sat eve and being polite eating a tiny bit of soup that had a vegetable stock cube in (most likely rice flour) and stew that had flour in. I had told them what I couldn't eat but you know how it is hard enough to get the hang when you are doing it never mind someone who doesn't understand.

My current flare started with fatigue then my back started up and was on fire in the night/Tues morning. That has calmed down but yesterday was in my upper back/ribs that is now easing but I am now monitoring my eye for signs of iritis it was feeling 'off' this morning.

I must add that I have never really managed to do a proper elimination diet no will power and am not good at keeping a food diary when I am good I forget and its shuttin the door after the horse has bolted to do it when I am feeling bad!

Sorry this is so long but I hope it helps.

x

Hello, Palash:

Regret SOME ice cream contains terrible forms of starch like tapioca, especially in hotter climates it helps the dessert maintain its consistency. ALWAYS TEST WITH IODINE--it is so easy to just bring a small bottle with You!!! Food is too often adulterated--especially prepared or outside foods; BE AWARE.



I have only avoided iritis for 15 years using NSD/antibiotics. Once, when I cheated on a lengthy airplane ride, I resorted to antibiotics when incipient symptoms of this terrible aspect of AS began. Fortunately, it worked quite well. But IRITIS in particular has kept me on the straight-and-narrow, with respect to diet!

Hope You sort this out and buy some more ice cream but TEST FIRST! Then give the culprit a piece of Your mind...somewhat gently; 'they know not what they do!'

HEALTH,
John

NSD worked well for curing my iritis, in particular avoiding dairy and refined sugars.

Here are my notes from many years ago when I still suffered from iritis:


*** oral prednisolone
*** No Starch Diet
* yoghurt
* rice
* corn ? (I think this is safe)
- banana. This suggests that Inulin or FOS are a problem for iritis.
- oats. Only a mild problem, have to eat quite a lot of oats for a reaction.
- milk.
-- sugar mixed with butter / dairy fat / coconut. eg: Hot chocolate, chocolate, caramel, ice cream, etc. A bigger problem when it is hot or liquid. So the worst reactions are things like hot chocolate, hot caramel, hot chocolate syrup. Give it a test one day and see if you react to one of these.
-- wheat. Perhaps other grains are a problem too?. Wheat is really bad when deep fried or fluffy eg: donuts, tempura, battered fish, sponge cake, etc.
-- echinacea


== Key: ==
* = safe
** = helpful
*** = very helpful
- = detrimental

Zark,

That is a big help thanks for posting that it will help make me more determined to steer clear of the sugars. When you mention dairy did hard cheese affect you too.

I have always felt but never been confident that sugar and dairy where my eye triggers on NSD as my back problems went very quickly and rarely return. Nice to see that someone else has drawn the same conclusions though by a more reliable method than instinct

I'm not really sure about cheese.. I don't recall cheese being a problem, but these days I am a bit more tolerant of dairy fortunately.

I recall a really obvious problem when drinking those powdered milk drinks. They have milk and sugar mixed together of course, and then especially when heated up (as in hot chocolate) then it magnified and speeded up the effect. Presumably due to it getting absorbed faster.